Compass Box Hedonism Quindecimus
46% ABV
Non-Chill Filtered
No added colouring
Available for £128 from Master of Malt
Here’s the recipe for this blended grain goodness:
- 17.6% North British 20yo from first-fill American standard barrels
- 36.6% Port Dundas 25yo from rejuvenated hogsheads
- 8.4% Dumbarton 28yo from American standard barrels
- 19.4% Port Dundas 20yo from first-fill American standard barrels
- 18% 32yo Loch Lomond mystery blended grain from American standard barrels
Nose.
Rich, buttery and intense. Lots of polished oak and varnish. Lots of toffee, honey. Buttered toast. Some sweet lemon citrus. A touch of tangy citrus as well. Darker fruits are present in a boiled down, sugared jam fashion. With touches of marmalade. Coconut is also hanging around, some sweet tobacco. A little chocolate. Pepper and cloves. Even a touch of fruitcake. Wonderfully complex. Beautiful.
Palate.
Coconut flesh sweetness and vanilla is the immediate arrival, a touch of alcohol nip, quickly subsides and we get layer and layer of creamy, buttery, popcorn, desiccated coconut. The mouthfeel is awesomely thick and coating. We get some boiled down apples and dark berry jam. More sweet vanilla and coconut. Lashings of fresh cream. A hint of coffee. More butter, this time on some toast. Icing sugar. Some plain vanilla sponge cake. Lovely complexity, which is evolving with time, every time I go back I find something slightly different.
Finish.
Long lasting. Oak and vanilla and coconut. Creamy, so very silky and creamy. Marshmallow, and a touch of chocolate. It’s almost a jammy marshmallow tea cake in a glass for the finish. Dries out with some fruit jams and dried fruits remaining, and some more cake!
Adding water.
I think this is very well diluted and works a treat, but will add some drops for completeness. The nose has more intense spice. Extra pepper and cloves. Still lovely, sweet and cakey. In fact I would say all the aromas have intensified, although maybe at the cost of the varnish/polished oak a little. The palate continues to be glorious, it’s got waves and waves of luscious flavours, all as previously described, maybe a touch oilier, this is a whisky that’s so difficult not to swallow, although every second you can hold it in your mouth is another second of happiness. The finish as with the diluted nose and palate is somewhat enhanced and just absolutely delicious.
Conclusion.
Ok, this is bloody lovely stuff. Beautiful. It’s not cheap, but for what your getting its not expensive either. There is some old and younger grain whiskies in this blend, but it’s still 20years old at least, and the quality is just shining through. Highly recommended. It won’t be around for long because of the quality. You don’t find a lot of Compass Box in the auctions for the very basic reason. They are too good to collect, these whiskies are meant for drinking and savouring and that’s exactly what I’m going to do with mine!
Thanks to Compass Box for providing the review sample.
Scotch and Sci-Fi 